Republican Jennifer Hawks is running for California Treasurer in the Nov. 3 general election against Democrat Eleni Kounalakis.
Hawks, a Bay Area resident, advanced from a six-candidate nonpartisan primary on June 2 with 26.5% of the vote, or 1,411,794 votes, according to CalMatters. CalMatters described Hawks as a Bay Area party activist and former private school administrator. She has no prior elected office.
Candidate information
- Party: Republican
- Residence: Bay Area (campaign P.O. Box in Palo Alto)
- Background: Retired business executive. Hawks said she retired in 2021. On her campaign website, she describes herself as a business professional who spent her career managing budgets, improving operations and demanding accountability.
Experience and public service
Hawks's professional background, as described by the candidate in a Reform California interview, includes:
- Banking professional at an unnamed institution
- Office manager and administrative and finance support at Internet Research Group, which was acquired by Jupiter Communications
- Assistant secretary to the board at Sacred Heart School in Atherton, a private school, through 2021
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Hawks's statements in the California Official Voter Information Guide and her Reform California interview.
Bond oversight and transparency: Hawks said she is running on a platform of restoring transparency, accountability and oversight to California's bonds, debt and pension investments. She said the treasurer's office can demand transparency and shine a light on how taxpayer dollars are managed.
High-speed rail bonds: Hawks said she opposes continued bond issuance for California's high-speed rail project, calling it a "train to nowhere" and a "fiasco." She said the treasurer has the power to reject bond offerings that are not financially responsible.
Public pension oversight: Hawks said she would bring the voice of the taxpayer onto the boards of the California Public Employees' Retirement System and the California State Teachers' Retirement System, where the treasurer sits as a member, according to her campaign materials. She said she opposes what she characterized as politically driven investing, gold-plated pensions and fraud.
Endorsements
The following endorsements were reported by BallotReady and Reform California:
- California GOP
- Los Angeles County GOP
- San Bernardino County GOP
- Santa Clara County GOP
- Monterey County GOP
- Alameda County GOP
- California Republican Assembly
- Silicon Valley Association of Conservative Republicans
- California Rifle and Pistol Association
- Carl DeMaio / Reform California
Candidate information in this profile is drawn from the candidate's own campaign materials, the California Official Voter Information Guide, CalMatters reporting and BallotReady data. The Pasadena Ledger did not interview the candidate for this profile.
